Great American Smokeout: One Day Starts Today!

Every year, on the third Thursday of November, the Great American Smokeout (GASO) challenges tobacco users to kick the habit for just one day. Even though it may not be the last day they ever use tobacco, TRICARE beneficiaries are encouraged to participate as the first step toward quitting.

One tool beneficiaries can use to make GASO tobacco-free is Quit Tobacco – Make Everyone Proud (www.ucanquit2.org/facts/gaso). Become one of the millions of smokers across the country that put down their cigarettes to be tobacco-free for 24 hours.

The benefits of being tobacco-free for one day add up. Just 20 minutes after that last cigarette, a smoker’s heart rate and blood pressure drop. Twelve hours after quitting the carbon monoxide level in a smoker’s blood returns to normal.

While 24 hours without tobacco may sound easy, it can be quite a challenge. Beneficiaries should take a few small steps in the days leading up to GASO to increase their chances of lasting the entire day. Visit the GASO page – listed above – on UCanQuit2.org for more information and quit tools like SmokefreeMIL (www.ucanquit2.org/smokefreemil), the free, 24/7 text messaging support program.

To spread the word about GASO, go to www.ucanquit2.org/facts/gaso/promote-gaso.aspx to view and download free promotional materials specifically designed for military members and their families. For beneficiaries planning to give up tobacco one day, that day has come.

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